Arkansas Adolescent Reproductive Health Facts

Arkansas was ranked 1 out of 51 (50 states + the District of Columbia)1 on final 2015 teen births rates among females aged 15-19 (with 1 representing the highest rate and 51 representing the lowest rate).RH1

Includes all births, including those with Hispanic origin not stated and not shown separately.

2

Race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on birth certificates. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Race categories are consistent with the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards.

3

Includes persons of Hispanic, non-Hispanic and origin not stated according to mother's reported race.

Of all births to females under 20 years of age, percenta by race/ethnicity, 2015 RH1, RH3

Mother's race/ethnicity1

Arkansas

United States

Non-Hispanic white2

60%

39%

Non-Hispanic black2

27%

22%

American Indian or Alaska Native2,3

1%

2%

Asian or Pacific Islander2,3

1%

2%

Hispanic4

11%

35%

a

Percentage calculated for this webpage.

1

Includes all births, including those with Hispanic origin not stated and not shown separately.

2

Race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on birth certificates. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Race categories are consistent with the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards.

3

Includes persons of Hispanic, non-Hispanic and origin not stated according to mother's reported race.

4

Includes all persons of Hispanic origin of any race.

Of all births to females under 20 years of age, percent repeat births, 2015 RH1, RH3

Total1

Arkansas

United States

Females under 20 years of age

18%

17%

Mother's race/ethnicity

Arkansas

United States

Non-Hispanic white2

17%

14%

Non-Hispanic black2

20%

17%

American Indian or Alaska Native2,3

*

18%

Asian or Pacific Islander2,3

27%

16%

Hispanic4

20%

18%

a

Percentage calculated for this webpage.

1

Includes all births, including those with Hispanic origin not stated and not shown separately.

2

Race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on birth certificates. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Race categories are consistent with the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards.

3

Includes persons of Hispanic, non-Hispanic and origin not stated according to mother's reported race.

In 1998, the teen pregnancy rate was 114 pregnancies per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in Arkansas, and 111 in the U.S. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate peaked in 1990 at 117.6 pregnancies per 1,000 females aged 15-19, but state data are not available for that year.

Percent of high school students who report they have ever had sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

46%

41%

Male

47%

43%

Female

45%

39%

Percent of high school students who report they had sexual intercourse for the first time before 13 years of age

Arkansas

United States

Total

6%

4%

Male

9%

6%

Female

3%

2%

Percent of high school students who report they have had sexual intercourse with 4 or more persons

Arkansas

United States

Total

16%

11%

Male

19%

14%

Female

13%

9%

Percent of high school students who report they drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

19%

21%

Male

27%

25%

Female

12%

16%

Birth control use among sexually active high school students (grades 9-12), 2015 RH4

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used a condom during last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

53%

57%

Male

60%

62%

Female

47%

52%

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used birth control pills before last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

18%

18%

Male

15%

15%

Female

20%

21%

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used an IUD (e.g., Mirena or ParaGard) or implant (e.g., Implanon or Nexplanon) before last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

1%

3%

Male

0%

2%

Female

2%

5%

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used a shot (e.g., Depo-Provera), patch (e.g., OrthoEvra), or birth control ring (e.g., NuvaRing) before last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

9%

5%

Male

8%

3%

Female

10%

8%

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used birth control pills; an IUD or implant; or a shot, patch, or birth control ring before last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

28%

27%

Male

23%

20%

Female

32%

34%

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used birth control pills; an IUD or implant; or a shot, patch, or birth control ring before last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

11%

9%

Male

10%

6%

Female

11%

12%

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner did not use any method to prevent pregnancy during last sexual intercourse

Arkansas

United States

Total

20%

14%

Male

17%

12%

Female

23%

15%

Relationship violence among high school students who report dating in the past 12 months (grades 9-12), 2015 RH4

Percent of high school students who report they experienced physical dating violence, including being hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon on purpose by someone they were dating or going out with (during the 12 months before the survey)

Arkansas

United States

Total

15%

10%

Male

11%

7%

Female

18%

12%

Percent of high school students who report they experienced sexual dating violence, including kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have sexual intercourse (when they did not want to) by someone they were dating or going out with (during the 12 months before the survey)

Race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on birth certificates. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Race categories are consistent with the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards.

State-level birth data by race/ethnicity and select age groups are from: United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital Statistics, Natality public-use data 2007-2015, on CDC WONDER Online Database. Retrieved January 6, 2017, from https://wonder.cdc.gov/natality-current.html